Logan Artists Association

I've joined this wonderful local association of artists in my area. It's a great place to go and has done wonders for my self-esteem!

Thus far, I've been a part of the 'Black and White' Exhibition for International Womens' Day this month; and this week, when I pick up my work from there, I'll be dropping off my work for 'Filling the Gaps' Exhibition for next month! 

Now, this is more wall-time than I ever got with the Logan Art Gallery! And seeing I'm a financial member, my work is going to be up on those walls for free! Isn't that brilliant?

I'm also taking part in an art class and enjoying every single minute of it! Aaron Pocock started his art class this past Monday and instead of being a conventional art teacher - with a set lesson plan - he's opted for us to do our own thing and drop in on each of us and advise us on how to make our work better. 
So, some of us were doing water colours, while other sketched with charcoal, and then other worked with acrylic paints and then there were others still who were just getting into water-based oils... and we all learned something big on Monday about everything! 

How very cool was that???

So, this is why I haven't been in here. But if you look at Inside Artistic Dialogue (and if you're not currently a member of that group, do join up), you'll see more about the art classes and the Logan Artists Association. It's a brilliant place to be, as it's in such a quiet place to work at. I haven't felt so welcomed, and wanted to learn so much from so many people. Until my next post, keep creating!

A Busy Little Artist!

I haven't been around and I must apologise for this... but I've been busily working on art, paintings and tapestry - not exactly in that order - but I have had my mind and hands on art equipment all the same.

This weekend, I'm taking part in an art opening at the Logan Artists Association at Coral Street, Loganlea. It's called 'Black and White' and it's a collection of art by female artists around Logan City and just in time for International Womens' Day. It starts on 4th, March and the exhibition finishes on 15th, March. I have a piece in it and hope to have a great time on Saturday.

I've also joined the Logan Artists Association this year so I can learn new things in the art world. They have lessons going on how to work with clay - something I've always wanted to know - and art lessons which cost only about $20 or so and lectures from artists from around Logan City.

This is going to be so exciting and I can't wait to attend this exhibition, seeing I have piece in it for the next week and half.

I hope it sells, and if it doesn't, at least people will get to know me as an artist. 

The Lake Como tapestry is coming along so well! The only thing that is fouling up the works is the fiddly bits of which colour is yellow, white or pale yellow... other than that, it's coming along really well in leaps and bounds! Until my next post, keep creating! 

Social Engagements

So much has been going on since my last post here; and I haven't had much time to get on here to tell you all about it.

But today, I do.

My needlepoint - 'Autumn's Journey' is now on the wall of the Logan Art Gallery and will be there until the end of June in the Allsorts Exhibition. This exhibition showcases the talent of Logan City residents and volunteers of the gallery - and are there some brilliantly talented people out there! 

The opening was on 27th, May and just last Saturday was the Garden Party (yes, the same weekend as the weather event that inundated the East Coast of Australia in rain). Even though a lot of people pulled out of the Garden Party, we still had a nice gathering of artists show up for it in the second gallery. I didn't stay to the end as I wanted to get home before the rain became too heavy.

'Autumn's Journey' is for sale at the Logan Art Galley for $220 if anyone is interested in it.

I've also been working on new things - new work - for another exhibition I'm hoping to get in and apply for in the next year or so. I can't say much for now, but I hope to get in and work on more of it soon. But I will say it's bigger works than I've been working on in the past.

Then, I've been knitting again and doing more needlepoint pin cushions. I have so many pin cushions that finishing the ones I have now aren't really important, but just something to do. I hoping to just get in and paint more than I have been over the last six months; space is something of a problem - but I have worked through that before. 

Anyway, there's not much more to tell you about. I'm hoping to look into doing some sewing soon - over the next few weeks - and then see if I can make something that will work out for the markets next year. Otherwise, I'm still looking at making bookbags something of a permanent thing at the market stall - seeing how people love to cover their Kindles, Nooks and other ereaders in something pretty and not just something durable. Until my next post, keep creating.

Plans September - December

I plan - like anyone does - and I hope that my plans work out.  But if I don't plan, I feel as though I have nowhere to go with my art.  And seeing the Home Festival was last weekend - and was a great success - I can work on the plans I have on for the rest of this year now.

For the last few months, I've been purchasing cheap - but nice - photo frames to make a family portraiture in my stair well.  It'll be of immediate family and pets; and so it'll take up the whole wall and consist of around 40 photographs.  Once I get the photos off the hard drive of my old computer from this year, I'll have something solid to work with and know exactly how many I'll need.  But right now, I'm looking for a retro-80's photo collage frame - one that holds a large number of smaller photos.  I hope Mum hasn't thrown hers out (I remember we had one once) and I'd be able to use it.

I also have some paintings I need to catch up on.  There's my self-portrait I need to finish the background of.  It's looking good and ought to be completed this weekend hopefully.
After that, I'm hoping to begin working on a new set of tiny paintings.  They are going to be tiny paintings of big things.  For example:  a tiny painting of the front grill of a Mac Truck... or a sky scraper of Brisbane reaching to the sky, or the Great Barrier Reef.  All on tiny, small canvas'.  So, I'll be needing to cut down some of my older brushes and getting one or two new detailing ones.  I do have photos of buildings of Brisbane... now to get them printed up at K-Mart - that won't cost much.  I'll get them done at the same time at the family photos.  I'm no in any hurry.  I'm hoping to get about 10 of these done by the end of next year and do them under a magnifying glass (I'll borrow one off my brother; as he has a few my Grandpa used to own in his older years).

Otherwise, I'm finishing up the larger blue blanket for friends who are having a baby and I'm hoping they'll like it.  So far, I've knitted up 3 little hats, 1 new-born hat, a green scarf, a red blanket and now this blue blanket... not bad for 5 months' work. 

So, what are you working on that has kept you busying this year - and will keep you busy for a while (like me?).  Until my next post, keep creating! 

The Home Festival

What a day it was yesterday!  I was up by 7am and out the door by 9:30am.  All my gear fitted in my bag and my little blue trolley.  The day was nice, clear and fine - just as we had hoped it would be.  And it wasn't a scorching hot day either.  

The Art Installation was called 'The Pop-Up Museum' (I didn't know it was called that until yesterday afternoon) and it attracted a lot of attention from the public. People were reading my book and enjoying the pages in the trees as well as the other artist's collections.  It turned out to be a great hang-out spot for a lot of people.  And as the day wore on, and the sun moved, there was plenty of shade thrown by our tree and it was used by the performance poets and community choirs.  People enjoyed the shade and basked in the sun as well; lazing about under the tree with the extra plastic leaves, reading my pink/red leaves and the larger ones of green that Doug Cartwright had put up.  

Too soon, though, it had all had to come down.  We were all tired from the day, eating and laughing.  I had gone to the jumble sale and bought myself plenty of goodies to add to my various collections and scored myself a first edition of an American poet from 1968 - which stunned my fellow collectors - for only $2.  My brother, his fiance and my niece were there to see the installation; only to unfortunately take off and not able to see the rest of the festival.  Oh well, there's always next year's.  I hope you enjoy the photos below I've put together.

The Home Festival 2012 

Jumble Sale Scores 

Art Opening At A Hair Saloon!

How cool does this sound?  Yep, I went out to a very cool art opening at Retrograde Hair Saloon at Holland Park tonight; and the artist was Sandra Hosking with her 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' exhibition opening!  And what a success it was!

There was so much food and drinks and great people there I loved it.  Mum and I totally enjoyed ourselves as we took numerous photos of the large paintings that were hung around the main front room, the wash room and out the back.  There was even a back area for the smokers - or for people to get away from the crowds - where there were braziers all lit up and hot to keep us warm while outside in the safety of a fenced off yard.

The atmosphere of the opening reflected the style and feel of the mixed media of the paintings which have been put together with feathers, hats, false eyelashes, buttons, paint, resin, lacquer and glitter... as well as other things I've missed, but Sandra has used a lot of things to express how much girls love to dance, shop, dress up, party and have long soaks in bubble baths as well as flirt with guys.  One artist who is most definitely worth looking out for!  

Girls Just Want To Have Fun Exhibition  

Tomorrow

Well!  Tomorrow is the day of the first workshop at the Logan Art Gallery for the Collections Exhibition.  I can hardly wait.  I was so excited about it that I packed my blue shopping trolley yesterday afternoon!  Yep, I'm that eager.  The books I have chosen are wrapped up in t-towels, I've put in 3 pairs of cotton gloves and included my knitting bag - as I'm working the morning shift at the gallery.  Then, I packed my Bookcrossing Briefcase to take with me.  

This afternoon, I made a gorgeous Ratatouille to eat for lunch while I'm there so I have something in my stomach.  I'll also take along some other food for morning tea and my drink too so I don't go hungry; as doing workshops exhaust me.

I'll be back tomorrow night, letting you in on what went on there.  I promise.  I'm just looking forward to what will be happening.  Wish me luck!  Until my next post, keep creating!

What Do You Collect?

Last week, I was at the Logan Art Gallery doing my volunteering shift on my own.  My partner in crime at the desk had come down with a stomach bug; how unfortunate.  I hope she's feeling better.  

Well, on my rounds around the place I noticed a pamphlet on the counter about collections.  The GoMA in correlation with the Logan Art Gallery are doing a few workshops where people with strange and wonderful collections can show them off at Kangaroo Point; and I thought to take part, seeing I collect a few different things.

The collection I'm going to show off - as I have about 4 completely different collections that are growing and I'm perfecting right now, and I'm only allowed to pick one - is my collection of rare and out-of-print books.  I began my collections of these by pure accident at the age of 23.  When I found my first out-of-print/rare book, it didn't cross my mind that a young person was allowed to have something as fine or as collectable as this in their possession.  It just wasn't something that I didn't think about at that time in my life.

Now, I'm almost 40 and I have been hunting down these particular types of books for 15 years now; and I'm not about to stop.  This collection of books I'm going to display is going to be something I've never let out of my house, let alone shown any of my friends.  So, this will be an absolute first for me to do with my collection:  letting the public see something of mine that has been hidden from everyone in my life except me.

So, do you collect something specific?  What is it?  Do you show off your collection or hide it to preserve it - like I do?  Until my next post, keep creating.

Henri Matisse Exhibition

Yesterday, I was off to the GoMA here in Brisbane to see the Matisse Exhibition of his drawings.  I caught two buses in and walked to the place in the heat of the first day of March to find that there were over 20 school groups and hundreds of people arriving for the day to do exactly what I was there for.  

After paying my way in to see his works, I walked through the door and found the walls covered with a massive collection of his drawings, etchings and engravings from his entire life which he devoted to art.  There wasn't a single day that passed where he wasn't drawing something - anything - and he mainly drew to warm up himself to get into painting.  Even though there were only a few paintings in the collection, it was the people who influenced him that astounded me.

Picasso, Van Gogh and other Masters of his time - such as Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres all influenced him in how he worked; and he took the time to try out their styles as well as work on his own style.  He tried out Picasso's cubism, Van Gogh's impressionism and landscapes and Ingres' Arabesque to see if he could do these styles.  And once he mastered them, he worked on his own skills and works; even through both WWI and WWII, he was working his craft.  Between 1927 - 1930, Matisse devoted himself exclusively to printmaking.  However, once had mastered this - and perfected the technique - he became restless; and so packed up his belongings and set sail for the USA and eventually Tahiti.

As I walked around the large rooms with all this work on the walls and inside glass-covered tables, I noticed he had used almost all the differing types of styles of art.  From pencil to charcoal, to watercolour, coloured pencil to ink, Matisse, used all of the ways to get his arts onto the page or canvas; and he was forever learning.  He even used Classical Motifs and mythological figures as inspiration for his works as well to keep his artistic juices going.

I found a lot of this work overwhelming and wished I had been there to visit as soon as the exhibit had opened last year; so I could come back and visit again today - to see it again and find something new about it again - however I didn't and now I regret that.  But as I found myself at the end of the seemingly endless rooms of Matisse' work, I found myself in a Drawing Room where there were people sitting around with clipboards sketching still life pieces and statues.  A lady at the door had handed me a pencil and invited me to draw something in the Drawing Room.  I was absolutely delight!  I thanked her and looked at the boxes of clipboards with A4 and A3 sized parchments attached to clipboards.  I pulled out an A3 sized clipboard, walked around and found a stool, pulled it around to a side view of a statue and sat, put my bag on the ground and began drawing.  I gave myself 2 minutes and drew as fast as I could.  It's a fun exercise to do this... and I came up with something that looked good too.

I was advised that there was a model coming in - fully-dressed - at around 11:30am until 1pm, however I had other plans after this place.  So, I couldn't stick around, no matter how tempting it was.  So, I handed my clipboard back, folded up my sketch, kept my pencil and went to the gift shop.  After looking around, I purchased a handful of lovely bookmarks... all Matisse ones.  It may be the cheapest way of buying souvenirs, but I'm a reader, and enjoy remembering great things like this.  Until my next post, keep creating!